Legal Help Desk

One year ago today, the whole world watched as New York State celebrated marriage equality. Among the first to tie the knot were Douglas Robinson and Michael Elsasser, plaintiffs in Lambda Legal's New York marriage lawsuit.

Two near-simultaneous developments have left many people understandably confused about whether students in New York are protected from harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

After marrying her longtime partner in New York state, Regina Hawkins-Balducci tried to add her wife’s name to the lease on her rent-stabilized apartment in Harlem. Her landlord refused, even though Hawkins-Balducci presented him with the couple’s marriage certificate.

Forty-three years ago today, in the early morning of June 28, 1969, New York City police raided a gay bar on Christopher Street called the Stonewall Inn. Cop raids on gay bars were routine in those days, but this time, patrons fought back.

The Matrimonial Law Section of the New York County Lawyers' Association honored Lambda Legal and our Senior Counsel and Director of Constitutional Litigation, Susan Sommer, in recognition of our key roles in achieving marriage equality in New York State.